I woke up this morning with an awful feeling inside me. Maybe I'll catch a cold if I go out of my room. My body seemed to be weak, which was very odd as I'm not the type of person who gets sick easily. My body has been drained because of the happenings here in the apartment. My throat was parched and I'm currently looking for a bottle of water in my room. But I did not find any traces of it here. Despite the heavy feeling that I'm experiencing right now, I managed to get out of my room and directly moved towards the kitchen to satisfy my thirst. I got a glass and poured the water from the jar into it. For now, I don't like drinking cold water.I was in the middle of drinking when someone whispered right into my ear. "I'm sorry." I was caught off guard because of that, and I spilled some of the remaining water in my glass. How much I wanted to face the person behind me, but he held my body in place. "Don't look, please. I'm sorry about yesterday. I don't mean it like that.""So, you'
Days pass by so quickly and Taddeio can not be seen somewhere near me. He’s not completely on my radar. I’m kind of feeling something that I can’t name. I’m afraid that trouble came in his way and he couldn’t formulate a plan on how to successfully escape it. And the last thing I remembered was when he left my room later that night after confessing to me. I can still imagine his face three days ago. I was shocked by a loud knock at my door. I dozed off the moment I laid down on my bed. That's why I was taken aback by the noise. It came to a halt for a moment, then resumed its journey.“Wait!” I said and then sat up without leaving my bed, as my body was beaten because of the rain. I tried to grab the knob and I successfully did it. I opened the door, and there it was—a man in all black, facing his back to me. He has good posture, and I can smell his sandalwood perfume; it is a nice and manly scent. I wanted to hug him all day and just smell him until the scent came off. He turned on
Hi! I'm just going to remind you that this story happens in 2013 and not in the present year. I have reasons why I decided to do it like this. Please, stay tuned for the upcoming chapters in order for you to understand the whole story. Anyways, thank you for reading! I hope that you will stay until the end and know that real score of Merchaiass and Taddeio. Stay safe always, and drink water everyday to keep you hydrated! Don't go out if it's not necessary. Wear your mask and protect yourself. In order to avoid confusion, please be reminded of the timeframe. Thank you, again!
I was stunned when I heard the caller's voice and said something that sounded very familiar to me. After days of hiding from me, he finally had the guts to call me."H-hello?" I cleared my throat first, as I was stuttering when I realized that he was waiting for my response."I missed you—I really do." He said it softly, nearly a whisper. "Really?" I sarcastically asked. He missed me, huh? He left without goodbyes, no words, and just left after that night. "I'm sorry. I have important things to do." He apologetically explained."Okay. You don't need to explain it, though. I'm not your mother." He sighed and just let the silence devour our conversation. It lasted for a few minutes, and I wanted to end the call. But, he confessed something to me."Babe, you know that I like you, right?"I didn't answer and let him continue saying what he was saying."I'm sorry for not telling you that I have things to do. It was rushed and I didn't have time for that.""Taddeio. I said that, it's actu
I woke up in a strange room. There's nothing here, just a bed where I'm currently sitting. I can nebulously remember that I fainted in school and... nothing more. I'm being cautious when the door suddenly opens without a person outside the room. Was someone pranking me? What a good joke. I stood up and checked if there was truly no one there. I walked very slowly as my head still hurts and my vision is slightly blurry. I'm now here at the entrance and ready to peek outside when—"Boo!" "Ah!" I shouted out of shock.I faced the guy and I saw Lethius. He's laughing his heart out now and is seemingly unable to stop. He matched it up with his hand on his stomach and his loud voice. "Funny," I said, while rolling my eyes. "W-wait—" He said this while still unable to hold his laughter. I immediately closed the door, which caught him off-guard. I leaned against the door and held its handle when I felt a throbbing pain inside of my head. I closed my eyes tightly in the hope that it would le
Our conversation ended with that, as Taddeio did not get what I was conveying. I had no idea how to open a new one because he was still busy thinking about what I meant earlier. I thought that he would successfully transport it in his mind, but it's only a guess. I mean, it was an indirect way of saying that we're officially together now. I don't know if I expressed it completely, but I think that I made it understandable and easy to process. He was too serious, and it was awkward too. I looked at him and just decided to enjoy the view. He has a perfect jawline and a pointed nose, two things that every human being in this world is dying for. Well, who isn't? I shouldn't say that in the first place. Look at our situation now. We're in the same room, but I can't feel the presence of Taddeo, either him or me. I sighed loudly to get his attention and to advise him that there was someone in this room too. But, he didn't even throw a glance or say anything. Was he still stuck there? What a n
I am here, inside my apartment—having peace of mind together with Taddeio. I can only recall what Taddeio said when I was on the verge of jumping. I don't know how it affected me, but the only thing that I realized was that it gave me a reason to stop what I was about to do. Taddeio, you are truly my savior and I cannot afford to lose you. I'll do everything that I'm capable and eligible of doing just to make sure that you stay by my side, no matter what. This is my oath, not a promise. A hand touched my heart when I felt a kiss on the back of my head. I want to control the time and halt this moment, just purely affection between us two. Surely, this was not the only time that he was like this, but this is the instance that I appreciated him being on my side. I don't know what to do now, Taddeio. My thoughts... I can't control them; they are so messed up inside my mind. I have no idea what to prioritize first: revealing the secrets of this building; my studies; or my feelings and the t
Night had passed and there were no signs of Taddeio. I went to school without having much sleep as I was concerned about his whereabouts. Several hours had flown by and still, he did not contact me. I know that I should not be worried, but I can't stop myself from feeling this way. Sighs. This is why I'm anxious about having someone that I'm comfortable with, because I know that in the future, this will happen. And I'm not wrong about that. It happened. I have doubts not only about Taddeio, but also about myself. You only knew him for less than a month, Merchaiass, and you put your trust in him. This is not you. Perhaps my soul has been switched. Huh. Now you know how to joke this time. I am now sitting under the tree at the back of my department building. I have classes today, but I'm not looking forward to them. I am fed up with everything that has happened in my life now. Do I deserve to undergo this kind of suffering? Is this my punishment all along? To be forgotten and easily dece
Knowing all of this was holding my consciousness from waking up. Even though I already knew the issue about my father's buying Mama from the group, I still wasn't expecting that Papa would say that. He's not the type that will admit everything that he's done in the past. He's more than that.Right now, we're here sitting around the table while Mama is preparing everything. She hasn't changed that much; she's still the woman that I left months ago. I smiled at the thought that Papa wouldn't hurt Mama again because he promised me earlier."Is there something wrong, baby?" A hand was placed above mine when my gaze focused on my mother, who was taking care of Papa's food."Nothing... I'm happy, Tads. That everything is in its proper place. I know that... Nevermind, my heart is full of joy now, and I don't want that to change." I smiled after saying it. I don't want to start a conversation about what happened before we went here. My conscience won't be happy if I ruin the mood right now.
After a lot of debating between me and Taddeio, we came to the decision to go to my hometown and talk to my parents. I need to do it for me to live without doubt, fear, and misery."Are you okay?" I looked at the man in front of the steering wheel. He's one of those who stayed in my darkest times. I held his hand above mine and smiled before answering, "I'm okay because you're here with me. Thank you.""What's with you today? Where's my baby? Is this really you, Cai?" I rolled my eyes at him and threw his hand back to him. I know I'm starting to become softer, but I don't think it's a bad idea, right? I mean, we're boyfriends now, and we should do what boyfriends do."Forget about it. Jerk," I said, lowering my voice when saying he's a jerk. There's something in me that doesn't want to call him like that. I mean, I'm quite shy by just thinking that he's my boyfriend and I'm new to this thing."I'm also happy, baby," was blurted out by Taddeio.I didn't mind him and watched the trees
"I clothed you when your father threw you out! You can't do this to me!" I was still in my seat, tied. While Taddeio was threatening Mr. Manore, he's not holding anything now. Maybe he threw it somewhere. "You didn't. I worked hard, Pops. You only helped, and you're not an exemption to the rule. You made it with me, and yet you, yourself, did it. Now, deal with the consequences." The old man was shocked to death when Taddeio aimed to hit him with a hammer. I didn't know where he'd got that, but it stopped in mid air as if Taddeio was controlling his hand not to hit Mr. Manore."I know that you couldn't do it, young man. Our lives have been interconnected ever since you got close to me. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen to me. Believe me, Taddeio, it wasn't my intention to go against your back," Mr. Manore pleaded, his hands clasped and attempting to kneel on one leg. I saw how Taddeio started to bring down the hammer while the landlord was assisting him. "Right, you d
"Are you okay?" I asked Polius when he hadn't moved from his place for quite some time now. Maybe what Celine had said had made a big impact on him. I thought they were okay and saw happiness in his eyes when my half-sister, Celine, confirmed their relationship. "I don't know," he answered and shook his head. "Are you okay with this? All of what's happening now. Are you really a part of the group? Or are you just doing this because of her?" My hand formed a fist and tried to have the rope loosen."Don't ask me like that, Merchaiass. I am doing this because I want to." He's swayed. I'm certain that he is. He doesn't want to do this and was forced to due to my sister's request."Okay, if you say so. But remember this, Polius, regrets come after what you thought would be the best. If your mind tells you that it's wrong, then it is. Our mind serves as the protector and the doer, while the heart is only for pumping, producing, and delivering blood. Nothing more." I remained silent after
My shoulders, which had been deprived by force, went numb when I took all the words that came from my sister's mouth right through my soul. I didn't even realize that I was already tearing up when Celine hadn't wiped my tears. I looked at her and she was doing it too. It's hurting me... It's like a spear that went straight to my heart. The sensation wasn't new, but it was heightened and I couldn't contain it. I need to let it out, scream, and divert my attention for me to be okay. Right now, I am not thinking straight and I could hurt someone that'll block my way. My momma was my life. I remembered everything about my accident, and she's the one I contacted and told everything about it. We were talking like prisoners, as my father wouldn't stay put if he discovered that mom and I still had communication. When I called him that night to ask about my accident, I assumed we were already fine, but we weren't.never be. My mother told me that she was physically abused by my father every ti
The wind is hustling, yet the sun can burn your skin. The mild sound of the waves hitting each other relaxes my brain. The ocean is clear, as is the sky. The clouds were smiling and making sure that the weather would be fine. The sand touching my legs gives me comfort that I never knew would be there. It's been what? Six years? Yes, it's been six years since what happened to me, to Dos, and Taddeio. He helped to move on from things that happened in the past. It's not easy, but Taddeio didn't give up. He made sure that I was alright all the time. He put me first before himself. When we first came here, I was distant—to everyone. I don't know, maybe I needed to take a break from them. Or from myself. Celine and Polius were here for the first two months, and they went back when Polius had to report to his station. And to answer the question, yes, Polius came back as a police officer after taking a year's break because of my sister. For the past years, I hadn't had a normal conversation w
"Stop what you are doing now, Triplets." The coldness in the voice of Taddeio can make a person gasp for air. "And why would we, Taddeio? Please give us a reason." Josef said, while his hands that were keeping my fingers up seemed to be restless. He was afraid and tried to cover it up with his normal voice. He's not stuttering, but his body reacted otherwise. He's afraid of Taddeio."Because I said so." Taddeio answered shortly. He looked at me with his sympathetic eyes and asked if I was okay. I gently nodded and smiled at him. He averted his gaze and stopped at Josef. The whole room was silent and no one dared to speak. It was broken when Hector stepped in and said something to Taddeio."You're afraid... that we'll do something to your lover.""I wasn't, Hector. Because I know he's not a softy just like you've known him. My baby has been a fighter since he was born." I don't know why my eyes are starting to be teary, but I stopped them from falling."Oh, is he? Are you?" Hector sa
We were here for how much longer we'd known. There's no sort of time indicator located in this room, and we don't have any phones to check, nor can we check it. We were tied and we looked like sinners that were awaiting their punishments. We spent minutes, maybe hours, trying to get the rope out of our bodies, but it was tied impermeable. We lose hope after doing our all just to break free. My eyes had incidentally gone to Dos, the real Dos or Paula, who was sitting next to me. She seemed to be having deep thoughts. Our eyes met when she turned to me. The difference was that her face had lit up. "Dos..." I called her. "Hmm?" She hummed and smiled at me. How can she smile at a time like this?"Is... is Violet your real mother? And Sarah is your real grandmother?" I don't know if I asked something right, but I want a clarification even though I've already heard it when they had their confrontation."Sadly, yes, Merch. I thought she was a hostage of Raphael, and I confirmed it to him.
I thought everything would be fine when Dos and I successfully went out of the room, but what was awaiting us was worse than I expected. Life is truly a series of unexpected events; everything has a reason, and you can't stop it from happening. What is meant to happen will happen, and everything that you'll do to not let it occur will be merely a tiny waste when destiny is involved. Playing our lives is what makes her happy. Seeing our pain intrigues her desire to continue doing what she's currently doing. She loves to torture us with her different schemes. She lets us be happy for a moment, then it will all vanish and be replaced by sadness. I don't want it to happen anymore. I am tired and wrongly used by destiny's power to overrule our lives. We are the creators of our destiny and are not controlled by it. Unless you change and nurture your beliefs, change won't come and your life will forever be ruined. We are stuck on the first floor, and even though we are on our fifth attempt